Loyal to a Fault
by Taisi
Summary: Maybe making the Man of Steel mad enough to want to heatvision you seems like a stupid idea, but seriously, he needs to lay off Superboy. And Kid Flash never claimed to be smart.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This might be a twoshot if you guys don't hate it. If this chapter sucks, I'll just call it done and move on. xD;

While there's a whole medley of different pairings in this fandom (there aren't any here, f.y.i., this is just a gen fic), and tons of bromance, there's a severe lack of Conner and Wally bonding/fluff/etc. I'm not sure why... I mean, all throughout the pilot episode, Wally was the one doing his best to include Superboy, treating him like a friend and a member of the team in a really casual, "I'm not being especially nice to overcompensate for your awful life so far" kind of way. He was being legit, yanno? Aqualad was being nice too, but if I were in Supes' position, I would want someone to laugh and joke with me, like I wasn't some freak of nature.

Anyway.

* * *

><p>Kid Flash has never been known for holding back; and seeing one of his friends get hurt pushes him past his limits in a way not much else can.<p>

They were in the Cave with Batman, the Flash and Martian Manhunter, recieving a lecture from The Man of Steel himself via satellite after their latest mission. Kid Flash watched with some interest as Superman gave a tired old speech about the importance of communication and teamwork. It wasn't like they'd done anything necessarily _wrong- _the older heroes were just upset that they hadn't called in, but seriously, they'd had everything covered.

The only thing stopping him from folding his arms and sighing really loudly was knowing that Barry would be upset with him for it. Getting yelled at by Superman wasn't all that scary; getting yelled at by the _Flash, _though, was something he would avoid at _all _costs. So he remained at attention like the rest of them, mind wandering vaguely, and tried not to get twitchy as the lecture lengthened.

"And _you _Superboy. I'm very disappointed in you."

That got his head up fast. He was very aware, suddenly, of Conner at his side. He risked a sidelong glance at the clone, and saw Superboy clench his fists so hard it looked like it hurt. Kid Flash looked back up at the computer monitor, in something close to disbelief.

"You endangered hundreds of lives! You should have alerted me _immediately._"

_Shut up, _Kid Flash thought to himself hundred times in the space of three seconds. _Look at his face, dude, that's enough._

Batman seemed to agree. "Superman- "

"Stop _defending _them," the Boy Scout snapped, and Wally's heart soared when the Flash's voice rose up next.

"They did a good job today," the speedster said, in a tone that could calm Wally's temper even at it's hottest, "even if they forgot a few things here and there. Fires are tricky, we all know that, but no one got hurt."

Superman slammed down a fist and Wally's attention refocused. "That isn't the point. The point is, Superboy, I expected more of you. I'm very disappointed."

Superboy's eyes dropped to the floor, and boundaries had officially been crossed.

"Like you have any right to be," Kid Flash snapped before his good sense could catch up to his mouth. He was staring straight at the computer, meeting Superman glare for glare; there was some aborted motion behind him. Maybe the Flash tried to move forward to intervene and Batman stopped him. _Yeah right, like Batman's not about to Batarang me himself._

"What is that supposed to mean?" Superman's voice was like ice. If Wally were feeling particularly intelligent, he would've backed off.

But he wasn't. Because Conner's face, for just one second, had been so open and full of hurt that Kid Flash would rather _die _than let those words go unchallenged.

"It's not a one-way street, this mentor thing," Kid Flash said, finally folding his arms in the purest expression of a stubborn teenager. "You don't _get _to be disappointed in him unless you can be proud of him too. Supey's come along way since we found him at Cadmus- he's seriously insanely awesome in a fight, and I'm glad I have him on my team. _I'm _proud of him, and so are they." He gestured widely at his comrades.

_"Wally_," Robin hissed, sounding almost pained, his hand clenching Wally's arm; Wally ignored it.

"You're out of line," Superman said finally, glaring so fiercely that Kid Flash was vaguely concerned for his computer.

"I don't care." He tipped his head to the side a little, narrowing his eyes with a smirk. Robin's hand tightened painfully on his arm and someone gave a gasp of surprise as he said, "You don't _scare _me, Big Blue."

_That _did it. "These children need a lesson in respect." Superman was _pissed. _Maybe he did more harm than good. He shifted his weight, unrepentent. "I'll leave that to you, Batman." The transmition ended and Kid let out a breath of relief.

"Glad that's over," he said with a slight grin. When he turned around, everyone was staring at him; he tensed up a little, feeling flight mode kick in even though he wasn't in any legitimate danger. Then again, Batman was striding forward now and the instincts screaming at him to run made a lot more sense.

He wouldn't, though. He meant every word, every one, and whatever punishment he recieved would be worth it.

_I don't care if he kicks me out of the league, _he thought, feeling his resolve strengthen with each step Batman took towards him. He couldn't bring himself to glance over at the Flash. _It was worth it, for Conner's sake._

Batman stood in front of him for a moment, regarding him silently; and Kid Flash stared back passively, resolved and ready to face the music.

Then Superboy stepped in front of him.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: In an episode of Justice League, the League discovered that without Wally they would fall- he plays the part of their compassion, and their conscience. In an alternate dimension, where he died, the League went rogue and established like, totaltarianism everywhere. It was insane.

But it was cool to see- really _see- _how important Wally is to them. C: He holds everything together. He's not afraid to question why things are done, and he'll get downright testy when he thinks what's happening is wrong, but he'll also play the role of mediator and he is so darn sweet to civilians, all the time. It's right that he holds things together, even if it's not obvious that he does.

-a Wally fan-

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><p>His heart was beating faster than normal, as Batman stared him down- which was pretty darn fast, being a speedster and all. Yeah, he would accept whatever came at him- <em>yeah, <em>at this point, he definitely deserved it. He didn't know how things worked in the League on the political level, didn't know what picking a fight with Superman would specifically entail punishment-wise, but he knew it had to be a pretty bad offense, all things considered.

But Conner was his teammate- his friend. And seeing him look like that, so _beaten down _in the face of the man he aspired to- no, _because _of the man he aspired to be like was too much.

Wally deserved whatever was coming, he decided with an inward nod, wrapping up his current train of thought about a second after it had started.

_But I don't have to like it, _he thought grimly, refocusing on Batman's cowled face. _And I sure as hell won't apologize._

And then suddenly his vision of the Dark Knight was obscured by broad shoulders and he blinked.

_Oh, _no_- _

The _last _thing they needed was a battle royale between Conner and Batman. Sure, Conner kicked serious butt, but- _Batman._

"Supes, no!" He flitted around to be somewhat in front of him, and attempted to shove on his arm. He might as well have been shoving at the side of a building for all the good it did, because the clone didn't budge. "Seriously, dude, I appreciate the thought, but- "

"You promised me the moon," Conner said abruptly, not looking at him. He sounded on the verge of an epiphany. Wally blinked.

"Uhh... yeah?"

"You kept your promise."

The yellow-clad sidekick stopped his fruitless attempts at pushing his friend back to his place among the others, and glanced at him, thoroughly confused. "Well, yeah."

Apparently the stilted conversation had some meaning, because Conner shook his head, and kept his eyes locked on the dark figure in front of them. "Supey, what the heck are you- "

"Whatever punishment he gets, I want it too." His tone booked no room for argument. Wally stared at him.

After the slightest moment of hesitation that seemed to stretch into an hour for a nervous speedster, Batman's lips twitched into something that could- by generous definition- be considered a smile.

"'Big Blue'?"

Wally stared at him, the hundreds of thoughts whirring in his head at any given moment sort of ceasing as stunned disbelief turned quickly to soul-wracking relief. He was glad his reaction time was a lot faster than everyone else's, because he was able to laugh before the silence grew uncomfortable and ease the uncertainty off his teammates' faces-

And _man _did he love to make them smile.

"Sue me for unoriginality," he said with a grin. "I was pressed for time."

"I never thought I'd hear that from a speedster. Though _you're _the last one to every meeting," he added in a perfect deadpan, glancing pointedly at the Flash, who's returning grin matched Wally's almost perfectly. Turning back to the younger of the two, he said sternly, "Questioning authority is something frowned upon, yes, because generally authority does know what's best even if it doesn't always seem like it. But no system is without flaws, and sometimes our leaders make mistakes."

It was the most Wally had ever heard Batman say in one sitting, besides mission briefings. He found himself paying rapt attention, soaking in the words because for Batman to say them they _must _have been worth knowing.

"It's important," Batman continued, "not to lose faith in the system entirely- not to lose faith in our _leaders _entirely. There's only so much we can ask of them. Superman was in the wrong this time; you were well within your rights to defend your comrade. But don't judge him too harshly."

"Yeah, I can see how being the world's most iconic hero could put the pressure on someone." He said it lightly, but then he frowned to himself a little as he heard the way the words sounded aloud; sure, respect was good and all, and fame seemed pretty sweet- but the Superman gig was _way _too big a package. All things considered, Wally didn't thing he'd be able to lead a league of heroes, manage the safety of a huge city like Metropolis _and _deal with the added pressure of being everyone's go-to hero when the world was in some sort of apocolyptic peril- all at the same time.

"I can definitely give him props for that," he added decisively. Batman nodded, looking somewhat amused, and glanced at Superboy.

"I know it isn't the same coming from anyone else- " Was Batman's voice..._gentle? _"- but you did good out there today. A lot of people are alive because you were there."

Conner seemed too surprised to answer, his brow furrowing slightly as he looked for the trap in the words. Kid Flash grinned and said, "Aww, he knows. Megan, tell Supes how great he was today. He'd like hearing it from _you, _wouldn't you Supes?"

_That _got a grin from the taller boy, albeit a small one, and Wally felt elation swell inside him.

_I'm not off the team! _Sure, that may have been a worst-case scenario to begin with, and maybe a bit too extreme, but he had been terrified nonetheless. He didn't _want _to be off the team, ever- not when he could hang out with Rob so often, and flirt with Megan and argue with 'Missy and learn from Kal and make Conner smile.

He wasn't losing the friends he would do anything for, and just knowing that was enough to make his smile stretch wider and compel him to say, "Thank you, Bats" -putting as much into those simple words as he could.

Batman shook his head almost wryly. "I get the feeling you won't be the most conventional of heroes in the League. I'm almost looking forward to it."

The Dark Knight had already zeta-beamed out before Wally could find his voice- a pretty remarkable feat.

_He really thinks I'll-? I mean, it's my dream, isn't it everyone's, but he really thinks I'll make it there?_

He didn't have long to dwell, sadly, because he was suddenly being attacked from all sides, as mentor and friends ganged up on him abruptly.

"_'Big Blue'? _Seriously?" The Flash hit him on the head, sharply enough to make Wally yelp. "I thought he was going to laser-vision you through the computer! I'd have had to avenge you against _Superman!"_

"What were you _thinking?" _Kaldur said, sounding more exhausted than upset. "Really, Kid, you gave us all quite the scare."

Robin punched him in the shoulder, hard. "No joke! You can't just _say _stuff like that, man! You nearly gave me a heart attack, I thought Batman was going to _kill _you- and you're my best friend, dude, but there's _no way _I'd have gotten in the middle of _that."_

"I actually feel kind of bad," Megan said suddenly, voice rather subdued, as she twisted her fingers in a rather human display of anxiety. "I mean, Wally is the only one of us who's stood up for Superboy- I feel like we've let him down," she added meekly, glancing in the clone's direction.

"You haven't," was all he said, but it was all he needed to. She smiled, and the atmosphere sort of mellowed.

"Are you really not afraid of him?" Artemis asked suddenly, looking curious even as she stood in "completely disinterested in you" mode, with her arms crossed and her stance casual. "You told Superman he didn't scare you."

Wally grinned, completely and totally loving his life and all the people he had in it. "The only person I'm afraid of is The Flash."

His uncle hit him again, but this time gently- and he used the motion to pull Wally against him in a one-armed hug. "Darn right."

Superboy caught his eye some time later and offered him an uncertain smile.

If life could get any better, Wally seriously couldn't think how.

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><p>Later that night, Conner woke up. He was laying on the couch; a quick glance around showed all his teammates to be sprawled on various pieces of furniture. The sight of them, for whatever reason, made him smile.<p>

The TV cast flickering shadows along the walls, as the menu for whatever DVD was in played on a continuous loop. The volume had been muted, so everything was silent- and after living with companions this long, the silence seemed eerie.

It must have been very early in the morning. Sleep didn't seem to want to return anytime soon, so he got up to see if there was any food left in the kitchen. He wasn't sure if anyone had been shopping recently, and it was usually a good idea to go every few days since one of their number had an insane calorie intake.

As he started to sit up, something he hadn't noticed was laying on his stomach fell into his lap. It was a paper bag, and he frowned at it.

Never one to let anything go unchallenged, including a mysterious paper bag of unknown origin, Conner upended it, dumping its contents into his lap.

It was a shirt, he realized as he held it up in the dim light. Made of the same strong, stretchy material as his teammates' uniforms, with long sleeves- and on its front was the strong S emblem that meant everything to him.

There was a piece of paper taped at the shoulder. After a moment's hesitation, Conner pulled it off, and lay the shirt down to read;

_I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to say those things, and I suppose it took your friend defending you so blatantly to open my eyes. I should feel every amount of pride for you that your teammates do, and I'm sorry- about everything. In all honesty, Conner, you scared me. Watching on TV as you jumped into a building that could have come down at any moment... I don't want you doing dangerous things, but it's not a question of whether or not you're able. Believe me, if you can, Superboy- you will find greatness. I know you will. _

_-S_

Conner must have read the words ten times, clenching the paper in hands that shook. It was a long time before he could lay it down and soak in that-

_Superman believed in him. _

Feeling his eyes burn for some stupid reason, he looked at the shirt again, a gift from his hero. Long sleeved, open necked, black and red...

_Superman's_ shirt, in his colors.

He held it tightly, and lay back with a smile.


End file.
